He says: I must admit the design is interesting. Especially the use of the round OLED display. The overall look doesn't actually scream quality or fashion, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to. The whole 3 circle idea seems to be original, but the thing is I don't dig it. And I really don't consider it to be a comfortable solution.

She says: The design of the G450 is indeed unusual for a mobile phone. Even though it acts as a modem and an MP3 player as well, that doesn't justify the visible separation of the three functions, right from its very design. The only thing that Toshiba managed to accomplish by choosing these looks for the G450 is making it more playful, toy-like even. I mean, let's face it, it may look like many things, but not like a phone. Unless it's a toy phone...

He says: Looking at the specs I don't think “performance” is something Toshiba wants users to think about when considering the G450. There's nothing screaming performance except for the integrated HSDPA receiver. And even then, you can't actually use it for Internet browsing since the device doesn't have an Internet browser. HSDPA can only be used as a modem with a laptop or desktop PC.

She says: One of the primary design goals for the Toshiba G450 was to act as a modem - it comes with HSDPA support allowing download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps, and it also supports UMTS, EDGE and GPRS data. Voice calls can be made at the same time as data calls. Because the G450 doesn't support Bluetooth, the handset has to be connected to a laptop with a USB cable, but as the USB cable also keeps the G450 charged then this is probably a good thing.

When connected to a PC, the Toshiba G450 appears as a standard USB memory key. MP3s and other data can be transferred to the handset.

He says: How does SMS sound? (not good) How about a built-in MP3 player? (better than SMS) Well, if you're fine with the MP3 support, you should be glad since that's the most you'll get out of this phone. No Bluetooth, no GPS, no camera, no nothing. And get this, you can only store a maximum of 160MB worth of music. Brace yourself for the big finish....no card slot.

She says: Shortly put, the G450 acts like a phone, which means that you can indeed receive and make calls, and you can also listen to a few MP3 songs (just a few of them, since the maximum internal memory of this item is only 160MB). Oh, and it has an alarm clock, probably the one function that anyone could actually use frequently.

You might say that that goes for the phone calls too, but, considering that maximum talk time on 3G is just 70 minutes, with up to 140 minutes talk time on GSM, that's not so viable either.

He says: There's not much in operating a featureless device like this. It only holds as much buttons on the front side as a regular 15 year-old house phone. You really can't go wrong when using the G450.

She says: What's to know about operating the G450? Despite the very unusual positioning of its buttons, they are pretty much the same as those of a regular mobile phone. As for the rest of the functions, all you have to do is read the very easy menu (since it doesn't exactly have any functions) and press a few buttons.

He says: With a price tag of $229 I doubt it will take people more than 10 minutes to Google around the Internet for a better and more feature-rich mobile device at no more than $249.

She says: Lack of modesty might be a very serious flaw, and you can see this perfectly in the case of the G450 mobile phone. Otherwise, how could you explain the price tag on this
poorly endowed device?

He says: Doesn't look cool to me. I suppose some friends might ask me what it is at first sight, but I bet they'd be disappointed when they find out how limited it is. I'll just be gentle and say the G450 could be considered innovative design wise.

She says: I think that the manufactures had a great idea, but kind of forgot it on the way. If they hadn't the G450 would now be a worldwide sensation. But since that didn't happen, it's just a very expensive toy.